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Hi There- new guy checking in

1366 Views 12 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  ard, 
C
:byee55amg


Been browsing for a while, finally decided to buy an M5. Here's my short story: Have had a ton of BMWs over the years starting with a 320is way back in 1985, then various 5ers including a Dinan 535, M3 convert (well, bought it for the wife, actually), last was a 750iL. Then traded in a 540I sport
2003 which was done to get the auto trans for commuting. Did the Dinan S pkg to the 540, which really pepped it up, but left me wanting. Then I started driving my Acura NSX into work alot seeing if a manual would drive me nuts....ouich in traffic. I decided I was not going to let commuting dictate my driving enjoyment, traffic jams be damed! Started looking for an M5.

Anyways, I love to mod, been doing DIY for years, but with family and travel just dont have time right now, so just took the plunge and bought an 03 Imola Red with the full boat Dinan S2 package. I went to the BMW dealer and they gave me copies of all the records from day one, and also told me my car was actually the last E39 M5 they sold. The Dinan guy at the dealership knew all the history of the car as well, which was a nice bonus.

The thing is a total beast indeed, I see why you guys call them that . I have owned Ferrari, Porsche, tons of german rides, this car is truly unique. I drove lots of normal M5s as well, the S2 IMO adds alot more than just HP- changes the way the car revs, sounds, handles, goes, etc. Feels like a different car, very exotic. I am also amazed at, given the HP, how docile and easy the shifter is in traffic.

Anyways, a couple of questions:

1) What exactly does the sport button do to cut the power? It does not seem to have much of an effect on milage. I assume it is a software thing.

2) Oil- I am confused. Lots of folks on the board say 10-60 however the sticker under the hood says 5-30. Its under warranty for next couple of years, so dont want to screw with BMWs recommendations. WHy are so many using the 60wt?

3) With the Dinan diff, 1st gear is somewhat useless unless staring uphill; I often start in second if not at a full stop. Then 6th runs higher revs than I'd like at highway speeds. Is there any way to change out 6th to make it more of an overdrive?

Looking forward to joing the discussions!

Wayne
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Hey Adam, i'd have agreed with you on this a month or so ago. I found this thread on the UK M5 board about oil for post 2/00 S62's in europe...
http://www.bm3w.co.uk/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=343729&an=0&page=0#343729

While they do not have "bmw long life synthetic 5w30" they do have the recommended oil as being castrol slx, which is a 0w40, i believe. mobil 1 0w40 is another 'approved oil' for the s62 in europe. So there goes the 10/60 only in the rest of the world myth.
I recently (about 2k miles ago) switched to mobil 1 0w40 on a suggestion from dinan. I had called asking about the oil cooler they use for their S3, my oil ttemps get pretty high on the track, and i was curious. They asked what oil i used, my production date and said to try 5/30 bmw oil, or mobil 1 0w40. My oil temps went down by about 15 degrees F, but i did need to add about half a quart after about 1600 miles, my car used essentially no oil with 10/60 with a 5k oil change interval, unless i saw a lot of track time. So the question is higher temps, with no consumption, or slightly lower temps, with a little consumption...
Mike


ard said:
2. Oil.... Oh boy... This is a perrenial favorite. I'll summarize it as follows:
BMW ALLOWS BME5-30 or BMW10-60, however they RECOMMMEND 5-30 for your model year. In the USA. Outside the usa all Ms get 10-60. Other oils may offer the same performance or protections, and many are using different specs. Evidcence supporting other specs range from website marketing data to technical literature to Used Oil Analysis (UOAs) on various oils in specific M5 applciations.
Probably 2500 or so posts here on the topic...
Adam
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